Unconfirmed 2014 Year Book Numbers - Peak Pubs, Baptized, Hrs, Reg Pio & Studies

by OwnAccord 97 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  emeth

  @Steve

  The stats are positive. but i did not expect them to be different. We were already told how many baptisms there were every weekend. Personally i think that numbers will increase a bit more and the growth percentages will become slightly higher the coming years. The reason is that there will come more JW Noise... the volume level will go up quite a bit over the next 2-3 years (new initiatives like carts, vans and trucks, stands and an increase of printed literature from 600 languages to 1000 languages before sept 2014).

  Furthermore often it is said (for about 10 years now) that internet would mean the beginning of the end for Jehovah's Witnesses. But even in internet penetrated countries they remain stable or even show a small growth percentage,.. the prophesized crumbling because of internet isnt going to happen. On the contrary i think the emphasize on their newly launched (sept 2012) website and other initiatives to spread the word will actually help more people to get on the wagon.
• 

  steve2

  your observations sound reasonable emeth. The internet is a two-edged sword for them. They remain a key stroke or two away from alternative views on their organization and as the internet introduces more new ones to the organization it demonstrates that door-to-door activity is less effective.

  Whatever the status of the organization in non-Western countries, the growth heyday of the organization is well in the past in Western countries. Some changes have happened so gradually that their impact on growth is as yet unknown. For example, from a religion whose major growth was primarily new converts to one where most of those presenting for baptism are "born ins". Besides, now more so than at any other time in the past, the organization is loaded down with inactive attendees (those who still attend - from time to time - but who do not become active in the first place or, having been active, are now inactive. A variety of dfferent sources also report that mid-week meeting attendances are well down compared to previous decades when the witnesses literally boasted they had the highest meeting attendances of any religious group, including mid-week - not so much noise about that boastful statistic these days!

  I await with interest to see if public witnessing gets started in New Zealand. It's been a pitiful venture in New Zealand in the past - but I will humbly eat my hat if it succeeds in this country. Stories elsewhere suggest the witnesses who staff these publich ventures often sit or stand silently whilst the public ignores them.
• 

  joe134cd

  2 things Steve.

  I to miss slimboyfat. I found his posts enlightening and well written. Some times I think he was just trying to get a reaction, however this did get you thinking.

  (2) The problem, of a low youth retention, and a lack luster meeting attendance is not just unique with the witnesses. I work with this Pentecostal guy and we openly discuss religious subjects. He was saying that youth retention was also an issue in his Pentecostal community and that there was an announcement made that about 1/3 of the congregation could be missing at anyone time, during a service. You also look at other mainstream churches (e.g Catholics, etc) that are shutting down due to poor attendance. Perhaps the witnesses are been affected more, but the problem is by no means unique. I have to say that in the time I have been active in the Borg, I have seen the significant changes. I remember growing up, and there been lots of young families and youth. Just before I left I started counting in the congregation by age. Roughly 2/3 were in the 40 and over category and 1/3 was in the 40 and under with about 5%-8% in the 18-25 year old age group, sitting in the hall at anyone time. These statistics can be testified to in the fact they are now struggling to find elders, simply because there is no youth to take over the reigns, just as the catholic church can't find priests. I would imagine in a few more decades the congregation will look quite different again.
• 

  steve2

  Joe, yes the problem of retention is hardly unique to the Witnesses and your observations are very interesting. I'd guess however that other religious groups by comparison are more successful at accommodating their youth but there are probably groups such as 7th-Day Adventists that also appear to lose a lot of their young people. I observe fewer and fewer Witnesses out door-knocking - those I see are almost always older women with a noticeable absence of younger ones. I cannot help but think of my own cbildhood and adolescence where there appeared to be lots of young ones either with parents and/ or grandparents or working door-to-door together. We also covered the territory every 3 to 4 weeks in the 1970s- I'm reliably informed by family members still in that the rate of covering the territory has slowed.
• 

  emeth

  @steve door to door activity is becoming less effective simply because less people are found at home these days (especially during the week). So there is a partly changed strategy (besides their door to door activity) to be where the people are.

  I live in western europe. Overhere i dont notice an absence of younger people in field service. Also if i look at my own circuit of local congregations the mix for baptism (converts and born ins) is about 60/40

  The reason for the problem of retention is that Jehovah's Witnesses are a demanding religion. You are expected to live up to high and strict moral values, to come to and prepare for 2 meetings a week, to go out in field service regularly etc etc. Its only logic that compared with other religions Jehovah's witnesses find it hard to keep the youngsters in.
• 

  DesirousOfChange

  Kids who are home-schooled, isolated from all outside activities except with other "approved" JW associates, who are not allowed to go to college, and take up the family cleaning business with only other JWS, are the ones who remain strong JWs as they grow up.

  Send a kid to school, let him/her get a different point of view, learn a little science, learn HOW to think, see that there is more to life than cleaning big houses owned by other successful people, and they will be gone.

  Even the goodie goodie ones who stay in there and get baptized at 10 or 11 can get ousted at 15 or 16 when the hormones rush in and nature takes its course, if the old bastards that judge them can't remember what that 1st "touch" was like as a teen and show no common sense.

  Doc
• 

  factfinder

  It is hard to be a jw- so much is expected of you. Unlike people in other religions who can remain in their religion by only going to church or temple on occassion if at all, jws have to preach, attend meetings as emeth mentioned.

  And jws have to give up so many things that the vast majority of other people enjoy.

  Add to that the judging and self righteousness, shunning, ever changing teachings, etc and it is very easy to see why witnesses have the lowest retention rate.
• 

  steve2

  I live in western europe. Overhere i dont notice an absence of younger people in field service. Also if i look at my own circuit of local congregations the mix for baptism (converts and born ins) is about 60/40

  Emeth, I guess you mustn't live in Scandanavian countries where there is very slow growth of the Witnesses - and a few years of decrease. Denmark is a case in point where the average number of publishers has remained virtually unchanged since the mid-1980s (roughly 13,000 to 14,000).
• 

  emeth

  @steve i said before that in most internet penetrated countries the number of witnesses remain stable or show a slight increase. In my country it is 'stable' too but that does not change the fact that the mix of baptism candidates is born in / convert 40/60

  so the influx of people is enough to cover the loss of those who died or faded/df'd
• 

  steve2

  Thanks for the clarification emeth. Which countries have the 40/60 born in/convert ratios? Wondering if this is based on your observation? A trend I have noticed in Australia and New Zealand is younger born ins getting baptized (ages 10,11) and fewer converts. Other posters from other countries have reported the same. I acknowlege it may vary from region to region, if not country to country.

  It will be interesting to notice ongoing trends in the soon-to-be-released 2014 Yearbook.